Guests in glittery gowns and colorful outfits filled The New York Public Library‘s ground floor last Saturday, as many gathered to celebrate artist KAWS‘ first dive into virtual reality.
Conceived in celebration of M&M’s 75th anniversary, the project was produced by Visionaire‘s Cecilia Dean and James Kaliardos. In full accordance with Visionaire‘s guiding principles, KAWS’ installation pushed the boundaries of innovation in image-making and storytelling, while remaining an open experience available to all for a weekend.
As we sat down and put our VR goggles on, we were instantly transported to the artist’s Brooklyn studio for a private tour, gaining insight into his creative process. The real trip began when paintings hung up the wall came to life and took us through a colorful adventure wandering among KAWS’ cartoonish characters, plus some M&M’s.
Guests coming to celebrate this VR milestone included Mary Frey, Arsun Sorrenti, Mark Gonzales, Marisa Tomei, Erik Foss, Camilla Staerk, Vashtie Kola, Camille Becerra, Kris Gottschalk, Mona Matsuoka, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, Charlotte Sarkozy, and many more.
httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkN1Lr6r1HI